My grandson, at 9, is a better baseball player than I ever hope to be.  Some of what makes him a good player is genetic, but it’s more than natural ability.  Some of his skill is attributable to hard work and a genuine love of the game.  But I think he has an additional advantage that has helped him excel so early: he has grown up observing his father, who is also an excellent athlete.  So, from his earliest days playing catch with his dad, he has picked up the subtle cues about how to move and swing and throw. 

Naturally, he is just beginning and has a lot to learn.  He will have to hone his technique and learn strategy and playing smart on the field.  If he continues to be a great player, he will have to continue down this path of focused learning and practice, but he will also need to keep watching players who are more skilled than he is, to observe how they do it and to imitate their moves.

I really didn’t write this reflection to brag on my grandson. 

He came to mind as I was thinking about the challenge of reading the Bible devotionally.  Lots of the stories in the Bible seem far removed from anything in our ordinary lives, especially the most dramatic stories we learned in Sunday School. 

After reading about Noah, and the parting of the Red Sea, and the walls of Jericho, and Jonah, and the multiplication of loaves and fishes, you might think that the lesson to be learned is that God works miracles.  But life will teach you that God appears to be out of the miracle business, at least in our ordinary experience.  But what if the lesson from these stories is not that God upends nature?  What if the lesson is more like watching someone throw a ball or connect to hit a line drive?

As you read scripture, pay attention to what these stories reveal about how the people of God encounter God.  The tellers of Noah’s tale spoke dramatically about God as refuge in the overwhelming storms of life.  In the wilderness and at the Red Sea, we see that trusting God enables us to discover ways through obstacles that have us trapped.  We begin to see that brute strength isn’t always the best way to deal with the walls that are keeping us from fulfilling our dreams.  Like Jonah, our forebears in faith learned that there is no place you can run that will take you beyond God’s merciful embrace.  And what did the folks at the loaves and fishes luncheon learn?  They learned that we can place the little we have in Christ’s hands and trust that he can use it abundantly.  Your life matters.  It’s needed.

Next time you read the Bible, watch carefully how these heroes of faith experienced God’s presence and power in their lives.  Notice how often they prayed.  What made them stumble?  Where were they surprised to meet God?

What’s your story of being met by this relentless lover?

Prayer:  As I open the Bible today, help me learn some pro moves – like kneeling and listening, trusting, and serving. Amen.